In: Physics
Classical Mechanics problem:
See if you can prove the so-called virial theorem. This is a statement that relates the average kinetic energy of a stable system to the potential energy of the system. It applies when the force between two particles of the system has a corresponding potentual energy U of the form U = kr^n, where r is the separation of the particles and n is some real number. So, suppose a mass m moves in a circular orbit about the origin in the field of an attractive central force with potential energy U = kr^n. Show that the kinetic energy T of the particle is T = nU/2.